Embodiments of the invention relate generally to aircraft boarding handrail systems and, in particular, to an affixable aircraft boarding handrail that is attachable to and removable from an aircraft fuselage, so as to provide assistance to passengers boarding and exiting the aircraft.
Smaller private aircraft—such as Learjet—are used to fly smaller groups of passengers to a variety of destinations in order to provide increased convenience and comfort to passengers, and to provide access to destinations not always accessible by larger aircraft. The use of such private aircraft has continued to increase over the years, as businesses have expanded their use of such aircraft and as the concept of fractionalized ownership (e.g., NetJets) has gained in popularity. In the future, it is expected that the use of and demand for private aircraft will continue to increase quite substantially.
Private aircrafts are typified by their use of an entry and exit staircase that allows passengers to enter and leave the aircraft through the main cabin door. The entry and exit staircase extends from the fuselage of the aircraft and down to the ground (i.e., rotates downward and outward) when desired so as to allow passengers to board and depart the aircraft. The entry and exit staircase then retracts when preparing to depart to form part of the aircraft fuselage.
While the entry and exit staircase on private aircraft provides great convenience to passengers with respect to the ease and speed with which they can board and exit the aircraft, a drawback of some private aircraft is that they do not contain a handrail that extends beyond the fuselage (i.e., do not extend along at least a partial length of the staircase) to assist passengers in ascending and descending the staircase. As a result, passengers with limited mobility may struggle to use the aircraft. Additionally, even those without limited mobility could benefit from the additional safety afforded by use of such a handrail when ascending and descending the staircase, as the handrail aids in providing support and balance to a passenger and may provide additional stability in inclement weather.
Therefore, there is a need for an aircraft boarding handrail designed useable with small private aircraft that would assist passengers in entering and leaving the aircraft. It would be desirable for such an aircraft boarding handrail to be quickly attachable and detachable from the aircraft fuselage, so as to not interfere with normal operation of the main cabin door and the extending and retracting of the entry and exit staircase.